Self-winding timepiece



July 28, 1953 o. voN AEscH SELF-WINDING TIMEPIECE Filed June 21, 1952 KILL 5//6/6 V5 leaf la lll Patented July 28, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SELF-WINDING TIMEPIECE Application June 21, 1952, Serial No. 294,867 In Switzerland August 29, 1951 7 Claims.

My invention has for its object a self-winding time-piece, the winding of which is performed by means of an oscillatory mass, said time-piece being of the type including a pinion the spindle carrying which is provided with a threaded part s-crewed inside a nut that is held against axial shifting, said nut being driven into rotation by the barrel or the barrel spindle while the pinion is driven correspondingly by the barrel spindle or the barrel in a manner such that the pinioncarrying spindle is shifted axially in one direction when the time-piece is being wound up and in the opposite direction when the spring expands.

My improved time-piece is characterized by the fact that the pinion-carrying spindle is parallel with the axis oi the time-piece mechanism and its end, located near the cocks or bridge-pieces, is adapted to engage a recess in the oscillatory mass in order to lock the latter against movement when the spring has been completely wound up, while its other end is shaped so as to control the movement of an indicator of the degree of expansion of the spring.

I have illustrated by way of example in accompanying drawings a preferred embodiment of the object of my invention.

Figure 1 is a plan View of a part of the timepiece.

Figure 2 is a cross-section, passing through line II-l of Figure 1 and through the barrel spindle, of a part ci said time-piece. f'

The frame oi the time-piece illustrated includes a rst plate I, a barrel bridge-piece or cock 2 and a bridge-piece or cock 3 for the Winding up means. The spindle I of the barrel is revolubly held inside the plate i and inside the cock 2. r1`he barrel or spring-box is designated by the reference number 5 and its cover by the reierence number t. The actual spring is not illustrated. The end Qa. of the barrel spindle projecting above the cock 2 is square and carries the spring-winding ratchet wheel I that is driven through a gearwork, that is not illustrated, by the winding up oscillatory mass 8. The spindle t carries furthermore a toothed wheel 9 located above said ratchet wheel I and meshing with a wheel I0, the hub Ita of which is screwed over a threaded section I Ia of a spindle I I that is parallel with the barrel spindle and is revolubly carried, on one hand, in the plate I and, on the other, inthe cock 3 of the self-winding means.

The spindle I I is mounted so as to be capable of being shifted axially and it carries a pinion I2 keyed thereto and that meshes with the teeth I3 on the barrel or spring-box. These teeth I3 inlil clude only three teeth at from one another. The Wheel I@ is prevented from being shifted axially by reason of the fact that it abuts through its lower surface against the ratchet Wheel 1 and against a section of the barrel cock 2 while its upper surface engages the cooperating suriace of the cock 3.

When the winding up of the spring is at an end, the spindle 4 driven by the ratchet wheel 'I controlled by the oscillatory mass constrains the wheel 9 to rotate and to drive in its turn the wheel IIJ. The latter plays the part of a nut and urges the spindle I I to move in the direction facing the upper part of the drawing. In contradistinction, when the spring expands, the spring barrel produces through its teeth I3 a rotation of the pinion I2 and consequently of the spindle iI. As the wheel IIJ is then stationary, the spindle il unscrews and moves downwardly.

The oscillatory winding up mass 8 is provided with a perforation I4 which for certain angular positions of said oscillatory mass is in co-axial alignment with the spindle Il. The upper end IIb of the spindle II is rounded and when the spring is completely wound up, the spindle I I has moved upwardly to a suiiicient extent for its end IIb to be capable of entering the perforation I4 and of locking the mass against movement, whereby the spring is protected against any exaggerated tensioning. It is then necessary to wait for the spring to slightly expand and consequently for the spindle II to move downwardly by a small amount that is sufficient for the mass to be released and for the rewinding of the spring to be resumed.

Thelower end lIc of the spindle II is iitted inside an opening l5 in a rocking lever I6 pivotally secured over a pivot I'I screwed into the plate I. This rocking lever that is carried immediately on the inside of the dial, that is not illustrated, is provided at IBa with teeth cooperating with a toothed sector I8 keyed to a spindle I9 carrying an indicator hand 20. A return spring 2l urges a section of the edge oi'the opening I5 in said rocking lever against the conical end IIc o1 the spindle II, whereby the said rocking lever is constrained to rock during the axial movements of the spindle II. These movements depend on the amount by which the barrel spring is wound and consequently the hand 2D controlled thereby gives an indication as 4to rthe degree of expansion of the spring.

What I claim is:

1. In a time-piece, the combination of an oscillatory winding up mass, provided with an eccentric opening, a barrel, a barrel spindle, a spring contained in said barrel and connected at its ends with the barrel and with the barrel spring respectively, a spindle parallel with the barrel spindle at a distance therefrom equal to the eccentricity of the opening in the oscillatory mass, a transmission through which the oscillatory mass controls the barrel spindle, said spindle including a threaded section, a nut engaging said threaded section, means preventing the axial movement of -said nut, a pinion rigid with the second spindle, means whereby the barrel and the barrel spindle control respectively the rotation of one of the two following parts, the pinion and the nut, to constrain the second spindle to assume a relative axial movement 'with reference to the nut when the barrel and barrel spindleassume a relative rotary movement with reference to each other, said second spindle being adapted to engage the opening on the oscillatory mass whenever the spring is 'completely wound and consequently the barrel spindle has come to the end of its relativeangular movement with reference to the barrel.

2. In a time-piece, the combination of an oscillatory winding'up mass, provided withan eccentric opening, a barrel, a barrel spindle, a spring contained in said barrel and connected at its ends with the barrel and with the barrel spring respectively, a spindle parallel with the barrel spindle including a threaded section and lying at a distance iroin said spindle equal to the eccentricity ofthe opening in the oscillatory mass, a trans- Amission through which the oscillatory mass controls the barrel spindle, a nut engaging said threaded section, means preventing the axial movement of said nut, a pinion rigid with the second spindle, means whereby the barrel and the barrel spindle control respectively the rotation of one of the two following parts, the pinion i and the nut, to constrain the second spindle to assume a relative axial movement with reference 'to the nutwhen the barrel and barrel spindle assume a relativerotary movement with reference -t`o each other, said second spindle being adapted'to yengage the opening in the oscillatory mass whenever the spring is completely wound and consequently thebarrel spindle has come to the end of its relative angular movement with reference to the barrel, and an indicator of the ektent of expansion of the spring controlled by the longitudinaly movement oi said second spindle.

3. In a time-pice, the vcombination oan-'oscillatory winding up mass, provided with an eccentric opening, a barrel, a barrel spindle, Va`spring contained in said barrel and connected'at'its ends with the barrel and with the barrel spring res'pctively, a spindlel parallel With the barrel spindle, including a threaded section and lying 'at a distancefrom the spindle equal to the eccentricity of the opening in the oscillatory mass, a transmission through which the oscillatory `I'n'ass controls the barrel spindle, a nut engaging Vsaid threaded section, means preventing theA axial movement of said nut, a pinion rigid with the second spindle, a plurality of teeth rigid'withfthe "outer periphery of said barrel and adapted to'suclatory winding upf mass spindle being adapted to engage the opening on the oscillatory mass whenever the spring is completely Wound and consequently the barrel spindle has come to the end of its relative angular movement with reference to the barrel. i

4. In'atime-piece, the combination ofIan oscillatory winding up mass, vprovided with an eccentric opening, a barrel, a barrel spindle, a spring contained in said barrel and connected at its ends withY the barrel, and with the barrel spindle respectively, a spindle parallel with the barrel spindle including a threaded section and lying ata distance from the rst spindle equal to the e'ccentiicity of the opening in the oscillatory mass, a transmission through which the oscillatory 'niass controls the barrel spindle, a nut engaging "said threaded section, means preventing the axial movement of said nut, a pinion rigid with the second spindle, means whereby the barrel and the barrel spindle control respectively the rotation of one of the two following parts, the pinion and the nut, to constrain the second spindle to lassume a relative axial movement with reference to the nut whenthe barrel and barrel spindle assume a `relative rotary movement with reference to each other, said Asecond spindle being adapted to engage the opening on the oscillatory mass whenever the spring is completely wound and consequently the barrel spindle has c'ome'to the `end of its relativeangular movement with reference to the barrel, the end of said second spindle opposed to the 'oscillatory mass being conical, an indicator of degree of expansion of the barrel spring and a lever controlling the angular position of said indicator and provided With an OFSP-111g 'engaged to a varyingextent by the coni-:al end of the second spindle according to the axial position of said second spindle.

5. in a time-piece, the combination of an oscillatory winding up mass provided with an eccentric opening, a spring-box, a spring-box spindle, a spring vcontained in said spring-box and 'the ends of which are secured tothe latter and'to the 'spring-boi; spindle, a ratchet wheel' rigid with the 'spring-boi: 'spindle on the outside of the spring-box, va second spindle parallelwith the spring-box flle'on the outside of the springbox and at a distance from said spring-box spindle 'e'qiial'to the'eccentricity of the "opening inthe oscillatory mass, and including a threaded section, ndt-shaped toothed wheel engaged 'by said 'threaded section, a pinion coaxially'rigid with the ratchet wheel and 'meshing with 'the 'with'the ratchet wheel and a pinion rigi'dwith the second'spindle and the rotation of which is controlled by the rotation of the spring-box, the

` relative movement of 'the spring-box `and springbox'spinde producing ahelicalmovernent of the second' spindle with reference tothe nut-shaped wheel into and out of register with' the eccentric opening-in the oscillatory winding up mass.

' 6. En' a time-piece, the 'combination of an oscilprcvi'ded'witn Yan 'eccentricy opening, a, spring-box, a-spring-box spindle,

a spring containedin said spring-box 'andthe ends of whicliaresecured totheilatter andto the "spring-box spindle on 'the outsideof Ithe spring-box,"a 'second spindleparallel 'with'the 75" spring-box spindler on Vthe outside vof Athe springbox and at a distance from said spring-box spindle equal to the eccentricity of the opening in the oscillatory mass, and including a threaded section, a nut-shaped toothed wheel engaged by said threaded section, a pinion coaXially rigid with the ratchet Wheel and meshing with the nut-shaped wheel, a cock for the spring-box, a second cock for the oscillatory mass, the nutshaped Wheel being tted with a slight clearance `between the two cocks, a transmission operatively connecting the oscillatory winding up mass with the ratchet wheel and a pinion rigid with the second spindle and the rotation of which is controlled by the rotation of the spring-box, the

- relative movement of the spring-box spindle producing a helical movement of the second spindle with reference to the nut-shaped Wheel into and out of register with the eccentric opening in the oscillatory Winding up mass, the end of the second spindle op-posed to the oscillatory mass being conical, a stationary plate, a hand pivotally secured to the plate and indicating the degree of expansion of the spring, a toothed sector, coaxially rigid with said hand, a lever pivotally secured to the plate and one end of which lis toothed for engagement with said sector, the other end of the lever being recessed for engagement to a varying extent by the conical end of the second lspindle according to the axial position assumed by the latter.

7. In a time-piece, the combination of an oscillatory winding up mass provided with an eccentric opening, a spring-box, a spring-box spindle, a spring contained in said spring-box and the ends of which are secured to the latter and to the spring-'box spindle, a ratchet Wheel rigid with the spring-box spindle on the outside of the spring-box, a ksecond spindle parallel with the spring-box spindle on the outside of the springbox and at a distance from said spring-box spindle equal to the eccentricity of the opening in the oscillatory mass, and including a threaded section, a nut engaged by the threaded section, a pinion coaxially rigid with said nut, a transmission controlled by the oscillatory mass and controlling both last mentioned pinion and the ratchet Wheel, three teeth at the periphery of the spring-box, and a pinion rigid Wi-th the second spindle and controlled by the teeth on the springbox upon rotation of the latter, the relative movement of the spring-box and spring-box spindle producing a helical movement of the second spindle with reference to the nut-shaped Wheel into and out of register with the eccentric opening in the oscillatory Winding up mass.

`OTTO VON AESCH.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 904,332 Kahan Nov. 17, 1908 1,280,305 Roig Oct. 1, 1918 2,098,737 Bornfriend Nov. 9, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 238,898 Switzerland Nov. 16, 1944 

